Rail-joint.



Patented Dec; 30, I902. H. B. NICHOLS.

BAIL JOINT.

Application filed July 8. 1902.

(No Model.)

f "w Q W L 4 w .25? V67? for I5 W UNrrno STATES PATENT OFF CE.

HENRY B. NICHOLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOOONSTANTINE B. VOYNOW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. '71 7,025, datedDecember 30, 1902.

Application filed July 8,1902. serial No. 114,732. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which thefollowing is a specification.

' My invention relates to improvements in railway-rail joints ingeneral, and in particular to rail-joints of electric railways,in which,besides performing their usual function of connecting and supporting therail ends to form a continuous track-surface, the joints themselvesconstitute electrical connectors or bonds for the rails.

The principal object of the invention is to produce a joint for abuttingrail-sections in which said sections are firmly held against lateraldisplacement and which shall resist to a maximum degree the tendency tovertical displacement and wear due to the passage and pounding of therolling-stock and traffic over and upon the rail-surface and which shallconstitute an efficient electrical connection between the rails.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear asI proceed with a detailed descriptionof the invention, which follows.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and will be hereinafter described; but it will beunderstood that I do not limit myself or the scope of the invention tothe precise form set forth, as various changes in the details ofconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse section takenthrough the central portion of the rail-joint and showing itsconstruction, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same on a reducedscale.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent abutting rail-sections, whichmay be of any well-known or preferred form, each having a head a, a weba, and a base a To connect these abutting rail-sections, I employsplicebars of peculiar form, each having a central flattened portion B,adapted to lie against the web of the rails, a lower extension b, ex-

tending around the base-flange, approximately to the middle pointthereof, and an upper flange b,extending beneath and in proximity to thehead of the rails. The splicebars are secured to the webs of therail-sections by rivets or other suitable means and are provided uponthe outer bonds of the extensions b with flanges or projections 19 bywhich they may be secured to the cross-ties or other support.

The space formed between the splice-bar extensions b and the rail-basesis filled by a suitable liner or filler D, which is introduced in amolten state through the openings 11 and completely surrounds,preferably, the railbases and forms with the extensions 1) a rigidsupport for the rails. The spaces formed between the splice-bar upperflanges b and the lower surfaces of the rail-heads a are also preferablyprovided with a similar liner or filler-D, which bears both upon saidflanges and rail-heads and forms a support for the latter, taking up andcompensating for any irregularities due to variations of casting orrolling of the splice'bars. It is, however, not in all cases necessaryto introduce the liner or filler between the splice-bar upper flangesandthe rail-heads, as in some cases I may prefer to have them contactwith and bear directly against the rail-heads, the irregularities incasting or rolling the splice-bars being taken up and compensated by theliner or filler at the base of the rails. This liner or filler may becomposed of any suitable substance or compound-such aszinc, spelter,Babbitt metal, or other suitable substanceand is applied in a moltenstate. It should preferably be a substance which expands upon coolingand hardening and should have a fusing-point which is below that of therails.

The joint is formed in the following manner: The rail ends are firstproperly cleaned by a sand-blast or other suitable means and thesplice-bars placed in position. The rails are then brought to a uniformsurfaceby the insertion of wedges between the bar and tram of the railsand held in place by temporary bolts while the bolt or rivet holes arebeing reamed. After the splice-bars have been riveted the joint isheated by oil-burners,

the holes b and spaces at the ends of the bars having been, however,previously calked with asbestos-cloth to prevent soot entering betweenthe bars and rails. Molten zinc or other material is poured through hole19 between the bar extensions and the base of the rails and also bymeans of dams between the lower surface of the rail-heads and the upperflanges of the splice-bars. When this liner has hardened, a rigid,efficient, and du rable joint is the result. A

Many changes in the mode of forming the joint may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of ,the invention, the above being a preferredmethod.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a rail-joint, the combination with abutting rail-sections, ofsplice-bar formed with a flattened or web portion and with an extensionto lie over and reach beneath the rail-bases, means to'secure saidflattened or web portion to and adjacent the webs of said rail-sections,and a liner or filler interposed in a molten state between the head andbase of said rail-sections only and said splice-bar.

2. In a rail -joint, the combination with abutting rail-sections, ofsplice-bars having their flattened or web portions riveted or boltedadjacent and to the webs of said rail-sections and formed withextensions to inclose the rail-bases, and a liner or filler interposedin a molten state between said extensions and rail-bases.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination with abutting rail-sections, ofsplice-bars having their flattened or web portions riveted, bolted orotherwise secured adjacent and to the webs of said rail-sections andformed with extensions to inclose the rail-bases, and a liner or fillerinterposed in a molten state between said extensions and rail-bases,said securing means being independent of said liner or filler.

4. In a rail joint, the combination with abutting rail-sections, ofsplice-bars having their flattened or web portions riveted, bolted orotherwise secured adjacent and to the webs of said rail-sections andformed with upper flanges extending beneath the railheads and lowerextensions to inclose the rail-bases, and a liner or filler interposedin a molten state between said upper flanges and said rail-heads, saidsecuring means being independent of said liner or filler.

5. In a rail joint, the combination with abutting rail-sections, ofsplice-bars having their flattened or web portions riveted, bolted orotherwise secured adjacent and to the Webs of said rail-sections andformed with upper flanges extending beneath the railheads and lowerextensions to inclose the rail-bases, and a liner or filler interposedin a molten state between said upper flanges and the rail-heads andbetween said lower extensions and the rail-bases, said securing meansbeing independent of said liner or filler.

6. The method of joining the ends of abutting rail-sections whichconsists in rigidly securing the flattened or web portion of splicebaradjacent and to the webs of said rail-sections, and then introducing aliner or filler in a molten state into the space formed about therail-bases by inclosing extension of said splice-bar.

7. The method of joining the ends of abutting rail-sections whichconsists in rigidly securing the flattened or web portion of splicebaradjacent and to the webs of said rail-sections, and then introducing aliner or filler in a molten state into the space formed about therail-bases by inclosing extension of said splice-bar and between therail-heads and upper flange of said splice-bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY B. NICHOLS.

Witnesses GEO. B. TAYLOR, WM. S. TWINING.

